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Preschooler who wandered into Sobey’s early Monday morning reunited with parents

The Broadview Ave. store was a quarter block away from her home, according to police from 54 Division.

Police received a call about the little girl who had wandered into a Sobey’s on Broadview Ave. early Monday. (Chris So / Toronto Star file photo)

By Jessica Botelho-UrbanskiStaff ReporterFakiha BaigStaff Reporters

Mon., July 25, 2016

Families in East York are holding their kids a little tighter after hearing news about a young girl wandering from her nearby home early Monday morning.

The girl, who police described as between the ages of 3 and 4 years old, was safely returned to her parents after she put on pink rubber boots and went for a walk by herself around 2:30 a.m., winding up at a nearby grocery store.

Employees at the Sobey’s at 1015 Broadview Ave. were surprised to see the child alone in the middle of the night. They called police immediately.

According to police, the Sobey’s is about a quarter block away from the girl’s house. The preschooler knew the area well because her family shopped there often, they said.

The girl was taken to the police station while officers searched for her parents, knocking on neighbours’ doors by 3 a.m.

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Police said she spent her time at the station “watching TV and having a great time,” with officers while waiting for her parents.

She didn’t want to leave when her parents arrived because the cartoon on TV had not finished yet, police said.

“Thankfully, this was a happy ending,” said Toronto police Const. Craig Brister. “She was spoiled at the station and was in good spirits.”

The girl was reunited with her parents around 5:45 a.m., at least three hours after she escaped. The parents called police when they woke up and realized she was missing.

Police said no charges will be laid. They are advising parents to place locks higher on their doors so they are out of reach from young children.

“The big thing is just being diligent, but it’s tough because you can’t watch them 24 hours a day,” Brister said.

Neighbours were surprised by the news and thankful to hear the story had a happy ending.

A few blocks from the Sobey’s store, Roger Ying was playing with his sons, Xander, 5, and Zachary, 2, on a swing set. He discussed how losing them is one of his greatest fears.

His family installed higher locks on their doors to prevent the kids from escaping, but he doesn’t think the locks are a definite solution. His 5-year-old can still find ways to open the doors, he said.

“My little guy is intelligent and I know he could do it like that,” Ying said, snapping his fingers. “We’ve instilled a little fear, but still, (there’s) curiosity. You can teach them as much as you want, but curiosity is curiosity.”

Kostas Kivelos, a father of twin 2-year-old boys who lives nearby, was worried by the news, but felt confident his kids won’t be escaping similarly anytime soon — they’re too small to open the front door, he said.

“We co-sleep with our kids, so they don’t usually leave without waking us up,” he said. “But it can happen though, because kids when they get to that age, they can unlock the door and they can leave.”

Kivelos, who was pushing his twins, Stavros and Panos, in a stroller, turned to them to pat their heads, full of sandy blond curls.

“I’m sure it’d be scary if we lost somebody,” he said to the twins. “You need to take precautions!”

Kivelos and Ying both mentioned the tragic case from last year when a 3-year-old boy died after wandering from home alone.

In February 2015, Elijah Marsh froze to death after walking out of an apartment building on a frigid morning.

Hundreds of police and volunteers scoured a neighbourhood after the boy put on his boots and took off into the dark in just a T-shirt and diaper.

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